Netflix announced today that fans can now watch a two-part The Sandman bonus episode, which they are labeling “Episode 11” and features the stories “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope.”
“A Dream of a Thousand Cats” is animated, while “Calliope” is live-action. You can watch a teaser for The Sandman bonus episode below.
Episode 11 stars Tom Sturridge as Dream. The voice cast for “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” includes Sandra Oh as The Prophet, Rosie Day as The Tabby Kitten, David Gyasi as The Grey Cat, Joe Lycett as The Black Cat, and Neil Gaiman as Crow/Skull Bird.
Also on board are James McAvoy as Golden-Haired Man, David Tennant as Don, Georgia Tennant as Laura Lynn, Michael Sheen as Paul, and Anna Lundberg as Marion, Nonso Anozie as Wyvern, Diane Morgan as Gryphon, and Tom Wu as Hippogriff.
“A Dream of a Thousand Cats” was directed by and features production design by Hisko Hulsing. “We endeavored to make the animated version of ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ as mesmerizing and hypnotic as we could by utilizing the magic of real oil paintings on canvas,” said Hulsing.
“We combined the paintings with classically drawn 2D animation based on realistic 3D animation of telepathic cats in order to create a trippy world that feels both grounded and dreamy at the same time. Untold Studio’s in London created the breathtaking 3D animation of the cats. The wonderful 2D animation, oil paintings, and stylizing were all done at Submarine Studio in Amsterdam.”
In addition to Sturridge, “Calliope” stars Melissanthi Mahut as Calliope, Arthur Darvill as Richard Madoc, Nina Wadia as Fate Mother, Souad Faress as Fate Crone, Dinita Gohil as Fate Maiden, Kevin Harvey as Larry, Amita Suman as Nora, and Derek Jacobi as Erasmus Fry.
“Calliope” was directed by Louise Hooper and features production design by Gary Steele.
Episode 11 features a teleplay by Catherine Smyth-McMullen. It was developed by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg. The executive producers are Allan Heinberg, Neil Gaiman, and David S. Goyer. The producer is Sam Mucke.
Released on Netflix on August 5th, The Sandman is the long-awaited dark fantasy show based on the comic book series created for DC by Neil Gaiman (Good Omens, Coraline). The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television.
When the Sandman, aka Dream (Tom Sturridge) — the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams — is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.
The Sandman is a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy woven together over the course of eleven epic chapters following Dream’s many adventures.
The series also stars Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mason Alexander Park.
The cast also includes Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai, John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young, and Razane Jammal.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.